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Myth Busting - Cranial Nerve 11 and Saddle Fit

Supposedly, saddles putting pressure on Cranial Nerve 11 is a major problem. Actually, you don't have to worry about it...
The Facts that are right There is a Cranial Nerve 11 and it is called the Accessory Nerve. And it does, indeed, innervate the trapezius muscle, part of which is in the area… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/myth-busting-cranial-nerve-11-and-saddle-fit/

You're not hurting his kidneys! Don't worry about it!

The kidneys are well protected.
We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website. One of the biggest things… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/youre-not-hurting-his-kidneys/

Myth Busting - the "External Abdominal Vein"

Should you worry about occluding the external abdominal vein with your cinch ring? No, because it doesn't exist... Here's the real anatomy.
Subscribe to RSS Feed Here is my rendition of a picture which has circulated on the internet for a while, claiming to show where the “external abdominal vein” lies. The… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/myth-busting-external-abdominal-vein/

Rethinking saddle fit and shoulder blade movement

The traditional teaching about saddles needing to avoid the shoulder blade as it rotates back when the horse extends its leg forward is just, plain wrong. Here's proof, plus proof that you need to have your saddle behind the shoulder blade anyway...
Subscribe to RSS Feed Remember that anatomically, there is no bony connection between the foreleg of the horse and the horse’s body, so the scapula doesn’t rotate… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/rethinking-saddle-fit-and-shoulder-blade-movement/

Yup, riding a horse does make his back extend...

I found another study that confirms what previous studies have shown: a horse's back sags under weight - live or dead.
Subscribe to RSS Feed We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website.… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/yup-riding-a-horse-does-make-his-back-extend/

What makes a Wade, a Wade?

With the popularity of Wade saddles, it seems like anything and everything is being labelled "Wade". What are the real characteristics that make up a true Wade?
Subscribe to RSS Feed We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website.… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/what-makes-a-wade-a-wade/

Saddle fit - Western compared to English Part 3

Finishing up the comparison of "saddle fit rules" between the two types of saddles - and explaining why a lot don't apply to Western saddles (and maybe not even English ones...)
#6  Stability on the horse This one we can all agree on.  If the shape of the tree (tree and panels on English saddles) match the shape of the horse then, just like two teaspoons… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/saddle-fit-western-compared-to-english-part-3/

Saddle fit - Western compared to English Part 2

Saddle fit - Western compared to English Part 2
Subscribe to RSS Feed #1  Position of the saddle In English saddles, this is based on the position of the points relative to the shoulder blade.  It is commonly taught… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/saddle-fit-western-compared-to-english-part-2/

Saddle fit - Western compared to English Part 1

English and Western saddles were designed for different purposes, and their different functions are the basis for how the trees are built and how they work for both the horse and the rider.
Subscribe to RSS Feed Disclaimer off the top I am making no statement that I am in anyway an "expert" or even highly knowledgeable about English saddles.  Most of… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/saddle-fit-western-compared-to-english-part-1/

All western saddles extend over the loin

Saddle fit "rules" say there can't be any weight on the horse past T18, but threre is no evidence for this statement. The fact that horses have been ridden in Western saddles for centuries is a lot of evidence against it. Here's why...
Subscribe to RSS Feed We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website.… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/all-western-saddles-extend-over-the-loin/

Of sagging backs and tickling tummies

Research shows that a horse's back sags under weight. One commonly taught "rule" of saddle fit says you have to get a horse to raise his back from a standing position to mimic how the horse really moves. Here's our treemaker's view on these contradictor…
Subscribe to RSS Feed Way back when I started this blog I wrote a couple of posts about a study (1) done where they showed that a horse's back sags under the weight of the… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/of-sagging-backs-and-tickling-tummies/

Can the loin of the horse carry weight?

Saddle fit "rules" say that you can't have weight on the horse past T18, but almost every western saddle extends onto the loin of the horse. Which is correct?
Subscribe to RSS Feed If you read or watch anything about saddle fit on the internet, you will come across the "fact" that saddles have to stop at the last rib or T18 or… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/can-the-loin-of-the-horse-carry-weight/

Saddle fit - How much pressure is too much?

We know that damage occurs if there is too much pressure under the saddle. So how much pressure is too much? I have been looking for an answer for a while and now know that there isn’t one. And the more I learn, the more I realize that maybe this is th…
Subscribe to RSS Feed When you read about saddle fit, you find numbers quoted as to how much pressure is acceptable under a saddle and how much is too much, and those… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/saddle-fit-how-much-pressure-is-too-much/

False "saddle fit rules" regarding the shoulder blades

As you read books or the internet, you will find lists of “saddle fit rules”. Many of these “rules” are just simply wrong. Based on the anatomy and biomechanic information already covered, this post counters three of them.
As you read books or the internet, you will find lists of “saddle fit rules” that everyone is supposed to follow or check when determining how well a saddle will work on a horse.… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/false-saddle-fit-rules-regarding-the-shoulder-blades/